In the song, Stuehmer asks Brown to help find a cause and vote to fund a cleanup plan.
Brown said he's honored Stuehmer chose him to carry the flag.

"He could have said I have a lovely daughter, because I do," Brown said.

Brown said he shares Stuehmer's concern, and thinks it's time to stop studying the muck and agree on steps to curb it, like using methane digesters to keep farm waste out of waterways, reducing overflows from wastewater treatment plants and fixing old septic systems.

Brown said the time for pointing fingers at culprits is over, and Michigan needs to demand more federal money to help with cleanup efforts.

"I'm going to be screaming that we've got to do something and we've got to work together," he said.

Stuehmer said he and his wife visited relatives in the Thumb for years before buying the cabin. They plan to move there permanently some day.

Stuehmer hopes his song catches on. He's been sharing it with friends over the Internet.
"It just doesn't seem like there's a lot happening," Stuehmer said. "It seems like more could be done.

"Sometimes, the muck is 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 inches deep. You step in it and it goes right over your shoes."